Active Offer: Nurses’ Power and Privilege Influencing Francophone and Acadian Patient Safety

Authors

  • Lisa Doucet Dalhousie University School of Nursing
  • Danielle Byrne-Surette Dalhousie University
  • Gisele Thibodeau

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25071/2291-5796.26

Keywords:

Privilege, Safety, Language, Acadian, Equity

Abstract

Nurses must communicate effectively with patients of a minority language to mitigate the risks of significant and costly patient safety issues. Within Canada’s predominant English healthcare delivery system, inadequate language translation during the provision of care between nurses fluent in English and patients whose primary language is Francophone or Acadian increases the risk of health inequities. This discussion explores the impact of nurses’ power and privilege related to Francophone and Acadian patient safety within an English-dominated healthcare system and their role to affect change. Through reflective practice, critical inquiry and activating the ‘Active offer’, nurses will be empowered to reduce safety risks for this population.

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Lisa Doucet, Dalhousie University School of Nursing

Lisa Doucet, RN, MN is an Adjunct Assistant Professor teaching at Dalhousie University School of Nursing Yarmouth Campus. She has been nursing for 25 years and her primary academic interests include working with marginalized populations, persons with dementia and community health. She is a proud board member for the Nova Scotia Dementia: Understanding the Journey Society.

Danielle Byrne-Surette, Dalhousie University

Danielle Byrne-Surette, RN, MN is an Adjunct Lecturer teaching for Dalhousie School of Nursing Yarmouth. She has been nursing for 28 years in Nova Scotia and Texas and in various nursing roles. Currently, using high-fidelity simulation as a teaching and learning tool, she guides students on how to connect deeply with their clients on a therapeutic level. 

Gisele Thibodeau

Gisele Thibodeau BScN, RN is a faculty member at Nova Scotia Community College Burridge Campus in School of Health & Human Services, Practical Nursing program. She has been nursing for 23 years in various settings including community nursing, public health and nursing education. Her proud Acadian heritage has led to her active involvement as president of Réseau Santé - Nouvelle-Écosse.

References

Bladon, H. (2019). Avoiding paternalism. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 40(7), 579-584.https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2019.1570405 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2019.1570405

Bowen, S. (2015). The impact of language barriers on patient safety and quality of care: Final report [PDF file]. Société Santé en français. Retrieved from http://www.reseausantene.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Impact-language-barrier-qualitysafety.pdf

Canadian Nurses Association (2017). Code of ethics for registered nurses [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.cna-aiic.ca/~/media/cna/page-content/pdf-en/code-of-ethics-2017-edition-secure-interactive

Canadian Patient Safety Institute (2016). Glossary. Retrieved from https://www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca/en/toolsResources/PatientSafetyIncidentManagementToolkit/Pages/Glossary.aspx

Carnevale, F. A., Vissandjée, B., Nyland, A., & Vinet-Bonin, A. (2009). Ethical considerations in cross-linguistic nursing. Nursing Ethics, 16(6), 813-826. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733009343622 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733009343622

Collins, A. M. (2018). Language, power, and oppression in the LIS diversity void. Library Trends, 67(1), 39-51. doi:10.1353/lib.2018.0024https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2018.0024

Consortium National de Formation en Santé (2019). Toolbox for the active offer. Retrieved from https://offreactive.com/home

de Moissac, D. & Drolet, M. (2017). Issues and challenges in providing services in the minority language: The experience of bilingual professionals in the health and social service network [PDF file]. In Marie Drolet, Pier Bouchard & Jacinthe Savard's (Eds.) Accessibility and active offer: Health care and social services in linguistic minority communities (pp. 189 - 207). Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa Press. Retrieved from https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/36974/1/9780776625645_WEB.pdf https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5vdcxc.13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5vdcxc.13

de Moissac, D., & Bowen, S. (2019). Impact of language barriers on quality of care and patient safety for official language minority Francophones in Canada. Journal of Patient Experience, 6(1), 24-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373518769008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373518769008

Dubouloz, C-J, Benoît, J., Savard, J., Guitard, P., and Bigney, K. (2017). Teaching Active Offer: Proposal for an educational framework for professors [PDF file]. In Marie Drolet, Pier Bouchard & Jacinthe Savard's (Eds.) Accessibility and active offer: Health care and social services in linguistic minority communities (pp. 259 - 280). Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa Press. Retrieved from https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/36974/1/9780776625645_WEB.pdf https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5vdcxc.16 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5vdcxc.16

Farmanova, E., Bouchard, L., & Bonneville, L. (2018). Success strategies for linguistically competent healthcare: The magic bullets and cautionary tales of the 'Active offer' of French-language health services in Ontario. Healthcare Quarterly, 20(4), 24-30. https://doi.org/10.12927/hcq.2018.25427 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12927/hcq.2018.25427

Government of Canada (2018). Investing in our future 2018-2023 action plan for official languages [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/pch/documents/services/official-languages-bilingualism/official-languages-action-plan/action-plan.pdf

Green, M. (2017). Language barriers and health of Syrian refugees in Germany. American Journal of Public Health, 107(4), 486. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303676 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303676

Green, A. & Nze, C. (2017). Language-based inequity in health care: Who is the "poor historian"? American Journal of Ethics, 19(3), 263-271. https://doi.org/10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.3.medu1-1703 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.3.medu1-1703

Hartrick Doane, G., & Varcoe, C. (2015). How to nurse. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.

Health Canada (2019). Savoir-santé en français Retrieved from https://www.savoir-sante.ca/en/

Health Standards Organization (2019). Standards CAN/HSO 11012:2018 - Access to health and social services in official languages. Retrieved from https://healthstandards.org/standard/access-health-social-services-official-languages/

Hurtig, R. R., Alper, R. M., & Berkowitz, B. (2018). The cost of not addressing the communication barriers faced by hospitalized patients. Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groups, 3(12), 99-112. https://doi.org/10.1044/persp3.SIG12.99 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/persp3.SIG12.99

Hu, P. (2018). Language barriers: How professional interpreters can enhance patient care. Radiologic Technology, 89(4). 409 - 412. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=128159142&site=ehost-live

Jobb, D. (2005). The Acadians: A people's story of exile and triumph. Mississauga, ON: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

Kaihlanen, A., Hietapakka, L. & Heponiemi, T. (2019). Increasing cultural awareness: Qualitative study of nurses' perceptions about cultural competence training. BMC Nursing, 18(38), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0363-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0363-x

Laxer, J. (2006). The Acadians: In search of a homeland. Random House of Canada Ltd: USA.

Leininger, M. (2006). Leininger's sunrise enabler guide. Retrieved https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Full terms https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Lokko, H. N., & Stern, T. A. (2015). Regression: Diagnosis, evaluation, and management. The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders, 17(3), https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.14f01761 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.14f01761

Margolin, L. (2015). Unpacking the invisible knapsack: The invention of white privilege pedagogy. Cogent Social Sciences, 1(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2015.1053183 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2015.1053183

McArthur, G.C. & Jakubec, S. (2019). Cultural considerations for psychiatric mental health nursing. In Margaret Jordan Halter, Cheryl Pollard and Sonya Jakubec's (Eds.) Varcarolis Canadian Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: A Clinical Approach (pp. 115 - 132). Milton, ON: Elsevier.

McGibbon, E. & Wambui Mbugua, J. (2019). Race and racialization and health, healthcare, and nursing education. In Carol McDonald and Marjorie McIntyre's (Eds.). Realities of Canadian nursing: Professional, practice, and power issues (pp. 16-31). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

McGibbon, E., Bailey, A., & Lukeman, S. (2020). Violence and health. In Lynnette Leeseberg Stamler, Lucia Yiu, Aliyah Dosani, Josephone Etowa & Cheryl van Daalen-Smith's Community Health Nursing: A Canadian Perspective (pp. 503-520).Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada Inc.

McIntyre, M. & McDonald, C. (2019). Nursing issues: A call to political action. In Carol McDonald and Marjorie McIntyre's (Eds.). Realities of Canadian nursing: Professional, practice, and power issues (pp.3-15). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

Meuter, R. F., Gallois, C., Segalowitz, N. S., Ryder, A. G., & Hocking, J. (2015). Overcoming language barriers in healthcare: A protocol for investigating safe and effective communication when patients or clinicians use a second language. BMC Health Services Research, 15(1),371 - 376 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-1024-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-1024-8

Municipality of the District of Argyle (2019, May 27). The region of Southwest Nova Scotia to host the Congrès Mondial Acadien 2024. Retrieved from https://www.munargyle.com/en/the-region-of-southwest-nova-scotia-to-host-the-congres-mondial-acadien-2024.html

Nápoles, A. M., Santoyo-Olsson, J. S., Karliner, L. E., Gregorich, S. J., & Pérez-Stable, E. (2015). Inaccurate language interpretation and its clinical significance in the medical encounters of Spanish-speaking Latinos. Medical Care, 53(11), 940-947. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000422 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000422

Nova Scotia College of Nursing (2013). Entry-level competencies for registered nurses in Nova Scotia [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.nscn.ca/sites/default/files/documents/resources/EntryLevelCompetenciesRN.pdf

Nova Scotia College of Nursing (2017). Standards of practice for registered nurses [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://cdn1.nscn.ca/sites/default/files/documents/resources/RN%20Standards%20of%20Practice.pdf

Nova Scotia College of Nursing (2019). Continuing competence program. Retrieved from https://www.nscn.ca/professional-practice/continuing-competence/continuing-competence-program

Office of the Commission of Official Languages (2018). Fast figures on Canada's official languages (2016). Retrieved from https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/statistics/canada

Páez Silva, A. & Lavoie, E. (2019). The french language in Nova Scotia, 2001 to 2016: Facts and figures. Statistics Canada. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2019004-eng.htm

Paradise, R.K., Hatch, M.E., Quessa, A., Gargano, F., Khaliif, M., & Costa, V. (2019). Reducing the use of ad hoc interpreters at a safety net health care system. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 45(6), 397-405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2019.01.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2019.01.004

Potter, P & Cobbett, S. (2020). Patient safety. In Patricia Perry and Shelley Cobbett's (Eds.) Canadian Clinical Nursing Skills + Skills Techniques, (pp. 355-457). Milton, ON: Elsevier.

Réseau Santé - Nouvelle-Écosse (2019). Bonjour! Program. Retrieved from http://www.reseausantene.ca/bonjour-program/

Rodney, P. A. (2017). What we know about moral distress. American Journal of Nursing, 117 (Suppl.), S7-S10. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000512204.85973.04 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000512204.85973.04

Saulnier-Boudreau, N. (2004). The strength of a people: Acadian history in general terms. Kingston, NS; T & S Office Essentials & Printing.

Schiffinger, M., Latzke, M. & Steyrer, J. (2016). Two sides of the safety coin?: How patient engagement and safety climate jointly affect error occurrence in hospital units. Health Care Management Review, 41(4), 356-367. https://doi.org/10.1097/HMR.0000000000000083 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/HMR.0000000000000083

Société Santé en français (2017). 'Active offer' of French-language health services: Joint position statement. [PDF file].

Health Canada. Retrieved from https://www.savoir-sante.ca/en/themes/active-offer/download/351/428/21?method=view

Société Santé en français (2018). About Société Santé en français. Retrieved from https://www.santefrancais.ca/en/ssf/

Statistics Canada (2017). An increasingly diverse linguistic profile: Corrected data from the 2016 census. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/170817/dq170817a-eng.htm?indid=17282-2&indgeo=0

Tote, A.H., Leis, A. Denis, W., & Karunanayake, C. (2015). Lost in policy translation: Canadian minority Francophone and health disparities. Canadian Public Policy, 41(2), S44- S52. https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2014-073 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2014-073

Trimble, E. (2014). The rural interpreter: Perspectives on professional development and professional partnerships (master's thesis) [PDF file]. Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Oregon. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=theses

van Rosse, F., de Bruijne, M., Suurmond, J., Essink-Bot, M.-L., & Wagner, C. (2016). Language barriers and patient safety risks in hospital care. A mixed methods study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 54, 45-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2015.03.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2015.03.012

Varcarolis, E. (2019). The nursing process and standards of care for psychiatric mental health nursing. In Margaret Jordan Halter, Cheryl Pollard & Sonya Jakubec's (Eds.) Varcarolis's Canadian Psychiatric Mental health Nursing: A Clinical Approach (pp. 80-95). Toronto, ON: Elsevier Canada.

Varcoe, C. Browne, A., Cender, L. (2014). Promoting social justice and equity by practicing nursing to address structural inequities and structural violence. In Paula Kagan, Marlaine Smith & Peggy Chinn's (Eds.) Philosophies and practices of emancipatory nursing: Social justice as praxis (pp. 266 - 284). New York, NY: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203069097-20 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203069097-20

Wehbe-Alamah, H. B. (2020). Madeleine Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality. In M. C. Smith (Ed.). Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (5th ed.) (pp.293 - 309). Philadelphia PA, F. A. Davis.

Yeung, S. (2016). Conceptualizing cultural safety: Definitions and applications of safety in health care for Indigenous mothers in Canada. Journal for Social Thought 1(1), 1-13. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/90b0/a619ebb52a2663c731d4ca22cbb1c48a8cc1.pdf

Downloads

Published

2019-12-13

How to Cite

Doucet, L., Byrne-Surette, D., & Thibodeau, G. (2019). Active Offer: Nurses’ Power and Privilege Influencing Francophone and Acadian Patient Safety . Witness: The Canadian Journal of Critical Nursing Discourse, 1(2), 49–63. https://doi.org/10.25071/2291-5796.26